1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a dispensing device, and more particularly to a metered dispensing unit used to dispense a predetermined amount of any soft paste or semi-liquid food product such as sour cream, mayonnaise, ketchup, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties are encountered in providing suitable means for dispensing the proper amounts of food condiments, particularly in the fast-food chains or restaurants.
Various types of dispensing devices have been tried but, because of their complexity, the average worker does not have the skill nor the time to maintain such known devices in working condition.
Due to the fact that these devices are primarily for use with food products, they must be routinely taken apart and cleaned. Therefore, there is the problem of loss of time in disassembling and cleaning large numbers of parts, and then reassembling the devices. Very often the simple process of cleaning a device requires someone with skills not ordinarily found in fast-food outlets.
Thus, there is a growing need to provide a dispensing device of this character that is simple in construction, and that has a minimum of parts, especially moving parts.